Hafner's Homecoming

By

Daniel Barbarisi

Updated April 8, 2013 9:06 p.m. ET

CLEVELAND—Before Monday's game, Travis Hafner sat in the visitor's dugout of Cleveland's Progressive Field, surrounded by members of the Cleveland media who had come to get the Yankee designated hitter's take on his return to the city where he spent 10 seasons.

Hafner was trying to predict the welcome he would receive—would it be kind, appreciative and reflective of his popularity over the years? Or would he be greeted as a traitor, with the good memories of 2003 to 2007 washed away by his departure and the bad taste of his injury-plagued recent past?

ENLARGE

Former Indian Travis Hafner had a banner day against his old team.
European Pressphoto Agency

NYY - 11

CLE - 6

"At the same time, I play for the Yankees now, so we'll see," Hafner said.

That was followed by a fanciful question—if he hit a home run, would the fans throw it back? Hafner laughed. He's no longer the 40-homer monster he used to be, and he knows it, so he doesn't take home runs for granted anymore.

"I'd be happy to hit one there first, and then I don't care," Hafner said.

It took only a few minutes of Monday's game to answer at least the first question. Hafner received a standing ovation when he was introduced, and he tipped his cap to the appreciative fans.

The second question, about whether a fan would toss back his home run, remains unanswered, though he did his best to find out. In the first inning, Hafner crushed a three-run homer over the center-field fence to give the Yankees an early lead, the first blow in what would become an 11-6 Yankee romp.

Unfortunately, the ball landed in an area with no fan seating. But the boos that rained down on Hafner gave him some hint of how his former faithful felt now.

Hafner wasn't done. He had already lived the dream scenario with the ovation, and then the home run. But the Yankees still had a game to win, and Yankee starter Hiroki Kuroda wasn't helping them do it. Pitching with a bruised middle finger suffered in his last start, Kuroda was erratic from the start, giving back all three runs Hafner had spotted him in the first inning.

So Hafner kept up the pressure—whacking a single to center to drive in Robinson Cano and give the Yankees a 4-3 edge, and then walking twice and scoring two insurance runs later on to help widen the Yankee lead. He was matched by the resurgent Robinson Cano. The Yankee second baseman entered the day without an extra-base hit this year—and finished it with three, hitting a double off the wall and then clubbing two home runs to help the Yankees pull away.

With all those runs in his favor, Kuroda settled down, pitching through the discomfort in his finger to silence the Indians through the middle innings, giving way to the Yankee bullpen in the sixth. The bullpen has been shaky all year, and it didn't disappoint Monday, with Shawn Kelley giving up three runs and Joba Chamberlain prolonging the final inning with two walks, forcing Joe Girardi to warm up Mariano Rivera, before at last recording the final outs.

Hafner's triumphant homecoming spoiled the home opener for Cleveland, a team bursting with early-season bravado after signing several big names in the off-season, including Yankee castoff Nick Swisher. Swisher's face is plastered all over the ballpark, and he is the clear face of this young team.

"The way that Cleveland's come in and approached the situation and treated me like a king over here, I just could not be more honored to be putting the uniform on for them every single day," Swisher told reporters at a pregame news conference.

But Hafner and Swisher couldn't both have winning debuts, and while Swisher chipped in a single and a pair of walks, Monday was Hafner's day. The Yankee DH is 15 pounds lighter than when he left Cleveland, healthy for the moment and trying to stay that way so he can play a full season, something he's struggled to do the last five years.

"Just trying to make it as easy on my back and knees as possible," Hafner said. "I'm just trying to stay healthy. I'm doing good."

So far, he is, and the Yankees are reaping the rewards. Their first winning streak of the season brings them to 3-4 on the year.

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